Gas-engine



(No Model.) s SheetsSheet 1.

0. WHITE & A. R. MIDDLETON. GAS ENGINE.

No. 545,995. Patented Sept. 10,1895.

(No Model.)

GAS ENGINE.

(LWHITE & A. R. MIDDLPTON.

3 Sheets-8heet 2,

Patented Sept. 10,1895.

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(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet;

0. WHITE & A. R. MIDDLETON.

GAS ENGINE.

No. 545,995. Patented Sept. 1,9, 1895.

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CHARLES VVIIITE AND ARTHUR B. MIDDLETON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,995, dated September 10, 1895.

Application filed January 10, 1894. Serial No. 496,431. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES WHITE an ARTHUR R. MIDDLETON, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Gas- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to gas-engines, and particularly to a governor therefor, and though designed for use in connection with the gas-engine of our invention known as the \Vhite do Middleton, may be used with good results and without material changes with other forms of engines. In the engine referred to a single rod is used to control the inlet and outlet ports of the cylinder, and in our present invention we have aimed to perfect the governing of this rod by simple mechanism located in proximity to the crankshaft and driven thereby through positive connections, this governing mechanism controlling, according to the requirements of the work, the number of explosions by the opera tion of the gas inlet valve. We have found that locating the governing mechanism on a shaft parallel to the crank-shaft and rotated therefrom enables us to secure compactness, stability, and great efficiency with the least number of parts and by the particular construction to provide for the most sensitive action of the governing mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the engine and its base with the governor mechanism. Fig. 1 is a detail of the cam which controls the rod for operating the gas-inlet and the supplemental valve.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the governor mechanism in a view enlarged beyond what is shown in the other figures. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are details relating to the governor mechanism.

In the drawings the base of the engine is shown at A and the cylinder at B, being j acketed as usual, the space between being adapted to be filled with any cooling medium. The piston is fitted, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art, to the inner walls of the cylinder. The piston is connected with the crank-shaft D by the ordinary rod E,which has pivotal connection both with'the piston and crank-shaft. The engine belongs to that class in which an explosion takes place after Fig: 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in section.

every other reciprocation of the piston or less frequently, as may be required by the conditions of the work, and after each explosion the piston on its return-stroke forces out the exploded mixture through a supplemental exhaust-port; then on its outward movement draws in a fresh charge, which is compressed on the next return-stroke, and after this compression the explosion takes places. The engine shown is provided with a supplemental exhaust-port in the rear of the cylinder, controlled by a valve which is operated automatically by the same rod which controls the gas-inlet.

V In the operation of this class of engine in order to discharge the foul contents of the cylinder it is necessary, first, that the supplemental exhaust port valve be positively opened. It is of course also necessary that it shall be opened at a certain time in the movement of the piston, that movement being its return after an explosion has taken place.

In order to control accurately the operation of the valve covering the supplemental exhaust-opening, and also to regulate the introduction of a fresh charge of explosive mixture by actuating the gas-inlet valve, we have provided a governor mechanism which has been greatly simplified over that shown in our former patent and rendered much more effective. This governor mechanism we have shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 5. An operating-rod F extends along the side of the cylinder, its rear end being guided in a projection from the cylinder, and the extreme rear end bears against a lever 2', pivoted on a stud 7c and adapted to actuate the valve controlling the supplemental exhaust. The rod F is provided with a spring Z, encircling it and having one end bearing against a collar m on the rod, with its other end bearing against the projecting part of the cylinder. This spring has a tendency to press the end of the rod operated upon toward the governing mechanism. The rod F has a projecting arm or stud n adjustably secured to it, and this is in contact with the stem of a valve 0 which controls the gas-inlet, so that it will be seen that through the operation of the single rod F the supplemental exhaustis operated and the gasinlet also, and this operation is effected by very simple means and by parts which are not liable to get out of order.

The means for controlling automatically the operation of the rod F we will now prooeed to describe. Upon the extreme end of the rod F is a laterally-projecting stud p, which carries a disk q, (shown in Figs. 1 and 2,) and this disk is the part operated upon by the cam r. A stop 2 limits the movement of the rod F toward the cam-shaft, the purpose being to reduce the frictionas much as possible, and to this end we arrange the parts in such relation that the disk q does not touch the plain surface of the cam, but is only in contact with the cam-surface thereof. A shaft G mounted in a part of the frame carries upon one end this cam r, and upon its opposite end a gear-Wheel s is mounted, which derives its rotation from a pinion ton the crank-shaft of the machine, as shown. This shaft also carries a beveled gear-Wheel it, which operates a governor mechanism, and this governor mechanism in turn controls the relative location of the disk q and the cam r. The governor mechanism consists of an upright stem 1, having a beveled gear 21 on its lower end, meshing with the gear u and driven thereby and carrying a sleeve 3, which rests at its lower end upon acollar 4, fixed to the stem 1. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the stem 1 is fiattened near its upper end, and pivoted to it at this flattened portion are governor-balls 5, which depend from arms 6, these arms being pivoted to the stem 1 and being of the construction shown in Fig. 5. The upper faces of the arms 6 of the governor-balls are in contact with studs 7, projecting from the flange on the upper end of the sleeve 3, and as the balls are thrown outward by centrifugal action imparted to them by the rotation of the stem 1 the effect would be to raise the sleeve 3. As shown in Fig. 4, the sleeve is formed at its lower end. with a groove 8, and into this groove fits a yoke 9, as shown in Fig. 3, which has a swiveled connection with the bell-crank lever 10, pivoted at 11 to the frame. The lower end of this bell-crank lever consists of two fingers 12 13, which hear one on each side of the disk q, and thus in the upward movement of the sleeve 3, should this movement be excessive, the disk q will be thrown to one side of the cam, with the result that the gas-inlet valve will not be operated and an explosion will be missed. It will of course be understood that the sleeve has a limited upward movement, and the limit of this movement is a collar 14, mounted on the end of the stem 1 and under the tension of the spring 15, inclosed within a cap 16, with its end bearing against the collar 14, the tension of the spring being adjusted by means of the threaded end 17 of the stem and a nut 18 on the end thereof bearing against the cap. As soon as the governor-balls have increased in speed so as to lift the sleeve to contact with the under side of the collar 14, further movement will be against the added tension of the spring 15, and the result will be to throw the disk q to one side of the cam and cause the engine to miss an explosion. One of the fingers 12 is rigid while the other 13 is of spring metal and is capable of giving under pressure, so that in the movement of the bell-crank lever 10, should the disk be thrown so as to contact with one edge only of the cam, itwill not be held rigidly in this position, which action often repeated would. soon wear away the edge; but by reason of the spring-finger 9, unless the contact is square, lateral pressure will cause the finger to give and the disk will move to one side of the cam until the next rotation thereof.

In Fig. 2 the governor mechanism is shown in its position of rest, the disk q being thrown to the left of the cam-surface with the governor-balls down, and in starting the mechanism we provide alever 20, pivoted to the frame at 21 and adapted to be turned on its pivot by the finger piece 22, with the result of bringing the end of the lever into contact with the under surface of the upper arm of the bellcrank lever 10, which raises the said lever and the sleeve 3 and holds it raised with the disk q in the path of the cam. A stud 23 on the arm of the bell-crank lever serves to check too great movement of the lever 20. The sleeve is thus held in its raised position until,in the operation of the engine, the cam has actuated the disk and an explosion been effected, when the centrifugal action will raise the sleeve slightly above the position to which it was lifted by the end of the lever 20, and this will release the lever and it will fall back to the position shown in Fig. 2*.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. In a gas engine, a cylinder, a piston, a main exhaust, a supplemental exhaust, a gas supply, a valve controlling the gas supply, a valve controlling the supplemental exhaust a single rod for opening both of said valves and a governor for automatically controlling the operation of said rod, substantially as de scribed.

2. In a gas engine, a cylinder, a piston, a main exhaust, a supplemental exhaust, a gas supply, a valve controlling the supplemental exhaust, a valve controlling the gas supply, a single rod for opening both of said valves, a crank shaft, and a governor for controlling IIO the operation of the rod interposed between the rod and crank shaft, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a governor mechanism, a bell cranklever, terminating in fingers,

one of which is a spring, a cam and a disk engaged by said fingers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WHITE. ARTHUR R. MIDDLETON. Witnesses:

SoLoMoN L. KOHN, ROBERT TATE. 

